"Quiet Professionals" or special operators have been conducting clandestine warfare since the American colonists fought in the French and Indian War. After the carnage of Mogadishu as captured in the movie "Black Hawk Down," and now Operation Enduring Freedom, Americans--and its enemies--are aware of the full magnitude of the United Special Operations Command's elite forces. From Roger's Rangers in the American Revolution to the Army Rangers and Underwater Demolition Team of World War II, the Green Berets and SEALs of Vietnam, and the now specialized commands of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the fighting spirit and essence of the United States Special Operations Forces are celebrated for the first time in a definitive, magnificently illustrated, large format book published with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Written by an outstanding team, including historians, authors, and experts associated with the Special Operations Forces, as well as several distinguished active and retired Army, Air Force, and Navy officers, U.S. Special Operations Forces has nearly 350 pages of riveting and informative text and stories of the "Special Ops" experience. Essays on Special Operations from its history to the specially designed weapons, focus on the incredibly trained and highly motivated people that make it all work. The thoughtful incorporation of full-color and vintage photography, maps, and historically inspired paintings complements the text while adding the excitement that only spectacular illustrations can bring to a book.

U.S. Special Operations Forces enable the history of America's special operators to be cherished permanently in a handsome package that all Special Operations personnel will be proud to own and--with its unique medallion-inlaid cover--to display. This book will be read again and again by past and present operators, their families and friends, and the countless others that have been inspired and intrigued by the exploits of the United States Special Operations Forces.